limey

I have the opportunity now to try Home Health as an LPN now that the LTC facility I worked in for 15 years is closing. Just hoping I have made the right decision to decline being transferred to another facility and try something different.

Why would a nursing home that has a hall strictly for COVID positive residents, put an Agency Nurse instead of a Staff Nurse in charge of that particular hall, even with proper PPE? Wouldn't that Agency Nurse be exposing other residents and staff in other LTC facilities?

The nursing home I work as an LPN is closing its doors next month. I started their many years ago as a CNA and received my license as LPN 11 years ago, at the age of 50+. I have never worked in another facility but this one. I was thinking about Agency Nursing because of being able to choose my own hours and days & my husband is retired and wants me home. There is some concern as where I work now is not all computer except charting at the end of shift. our MAR & TAR is all done on paper. I guess I worry about going into a facility that's totally paperless & realizing I'm in over my head. Maybe I should consider Home Health work. Not sure which would be best. Never expected or even wanted to have to start over. Please give me any advice!!

Hi!! I've been an LPN for 11 years and proud of it! Received my license at a late age of 50+ years. It was a proud moment on that graduation day when my daughter, an RN, was there on stage to give me my pin. I choose not to go for my RN because I am completely satisfied as an LPN. Besides that, I did not want to spend more time in school getting pre reqs before going for RN. I love my job as an LPN I & would not trade it for anything else in the world!!

I am an LPN & have never encountered this before. My husband was having a cup of hot tea. He picked up the cup to take a sip and all of a sudden could not swallow it. Just underneath and behind his right ear started to swell up. He said it was huge. By the time he showed it to me, it had gone down considerably. I was upstairs on the phone when this happened, so I did not see this happen. It has been a couple of hours since. I asked if it still hurt, he said 'a little bit', it just feels like his ear is plugged. Could it have been a lymph node? Never heard of this before. Thanks!!!

while taking care of meds, I was talking to the CNA who was passing water to the residents. Both of us heard talking that we did not know from where it was coming. That's when I realized it must be from the intercom and then realized the noise was coming from the phone. Couldn't make out what the conversation was. It just bother me that when the admin walked in unannounced and instead of being professional by asking where the noise over the intercom was coming from, sees someone close to the phone and picks up the receiver to slam it down. It was rude, dangerous and totally unprofessional.

While setting up some meds @ work in LTC, I heard talking that I thought was coming from the intercom. I then walked over to the phone behind me and leaned over find out it was coming from somewhere in the facility where a phone had not hung up correctly. At that moment someone had come into the hall where I was, but I did not look up at that moment. All of a sudden there was a very loud noise next to my head as when I had leaned over the phone not facing, that person who walked in not saying a word had picked up the receiver next to the back of my head and slammed it down. When I looked up it was the admin and he gave me a look (if looks could kill!!). Scared the crap out of me and I asked him what he did that for. He didn't say anything, just kept staring me down with that threatening look as if he was thinking if no one was around he would harm me. It still scares me when I think of it. There was no apology, just an accusation that I was broadcasting. He said he heard conversation about a resident on my hall over the intercom, so I guess he just ASSUMED it was me. The CNA who was there and saw this told me that when he slammed the receiver down it was so close to my head. She was afraid he had hit me. Is there some employee protection I could go to or should I just let this roll off my shoulder. I have always been a good employee there and never had any write ups. I have lost all respect for the administrator. I feel he's a sick man and needs help. The DON thinks this is funny. His only response was 'well I'll talk to him sometime when I get a chance, but he is my superior'. That makes me think he does not support his nurses. What can I do?

I also get tired of all the drama and the back biting at work. I work in LTC, started there 5 years ago as a CNA and 2 years ago, became an LPN and loving every minute of it. I wouldn't even think of doing anything else. My record is in good standing and never have had a write-up. The facility I work in has had numerous admins and DONs since I have been there, so that tells you how big a turnover we have. Was just starting to gain a little respect for the admin until the other day when he apparently came storming down the hall to our unit and through the doors of our hallway ( I did not know it was him) as I was leaning down closer to the phone to listen if talking was coming from it ( these are not speaker phones). I had been giving residents their medicine when a CNA and I heard what sounded like part of a conversation over the intercom. It was coming from the phnoe at the nurse's station. I took it upon myself to get closer to the phone to try to figure out whose voice it was so I could let that person know that they are broadcasting. It wasn't loud so we couldn't make out what was being said. As I leaned over to try to make out the voice, I heard the double doors open to our hall, thinking it was probably the nurse on the hall opposite us needing something. I didn't look up and all of a sudden something slammed very hard next to my head that it just barely missed my head. I jumped and saw that it was our admin. He gave me a look (if looks could kill) that scared me and my first thought is 'you are sick and need help'. I asked him what he did that for and he stands there and accuses me of violating HIPPA. I said 'What are you talking about?' He apparently heard the name of a resident on our hall over the intercom in a conversation and just ASSUMED that it was coming from us. My respone was that I heard the noise and trying to figure where it was coming from. I told him there is a phone in an office that did not hang up correctly. This admin was rude and unprofessional. I never received an apology. I have no respect for the man anymore. I wish now that he would have hit me when picking up the receiver off the phone and slamming it down. Whoever was unknowingly violating HIPPA would have been the least of his problems then. Telling the DON didn't do anygood. He thought it was funny. I thought the DON was supposed to be the nurses support. If there was anything I could get the admin on without having to worry about retaliation, I would do it. I would never quit this facility because I love my work and the residents there. I do have wonderful CNAs. The CNA who was with me said the admin just missed my head when slamming the receiver down.

Felt I was treated unfairly at work the other day. Was at the nurse's station taking care of meds at the med cart. An aide and I were talking while she was offering water to some of the residents. Suddenly, we heard some talking that came over the phone or intercom, not sure which, but is a HIPPA concern. I walked over to the phone to try and find out whose voice it was and the voice was low enough that I had to bend down to listen. Whoever it was needed to know that the conversation is being broadcast. These are not speaker phones. Hard to tell where it was coming from. I then realize that someone had walked in on the hall but did not look up to see who it was. All of a sudden, that someone had picked up the receiver on the phone I was bent over to and slammed it down!!! It scared the living hell out of me. I looked up and said "what did you do that for?" It was our admin. He gave me and the aide a look that could have killed. He said "You are broadcasting". I told him that you can still here the voices right now. He eventually found out what happened as someone in another office did not hang up the phone correctly. Of course, there is no apology coming from him. I should just let this roll of my back, but it is hard to do. I will never forget that look he gave me or picking up the receiver and slamming it down next to my head. I just wish now that he would have hit me with the receiver. It wouldn't have hurt near as bad as the look and I could have really given him something to worry about. What little bit of respect I had gained from him has literally been shot out the wall. I think the admin is sick and needs help. I think from now on out to me 'he does not exist'. I have never been in trouble at this facility for the seven years I have been here and I dearly love my work.

Anyone out there ever worked for HSI? What is your opinion of them. I do, but no comment. the best one I have ever worked for was Vetters Healthcare, a family owned corp who took good care of their employees which in turn results in wonderful customer care.

Three weeks orientation??? Are you serious??? I am a nurse for two years now working in LTC, the same facility where I also worked as a CNA. My first day as charge nurse on the floor in the Alzheimers Unit with 26 residents and two CNAs came after only ONE DAY of orientation. I have learned that you have to be the judge as to what to attend to at beginning of shift. If there is nothing critical to attend to, take care of whatever duties you can get out of the way before time to pass meds, because you can never predict what will happen on your shift from the time you get report. Make sure you know where your aides are and they know where you are at all times. Depending on what kind of administration the facility has, you may have to fight for yourself and your aides to get good results of care of the residents. Many times our administration has tried to put only one CNA and an orientee NA on my hall, of which I believe is a disaster waiting to happen. Working LTC is very stressful, but can also be very rewarding. Just do your best and I wish you lots of luck.

Pt. has what looks like blood blister that covers the entire heel of one foot. Kept wrapped to protect from breaking. Week later, the area is broken open around blood blister. Is it to be staged like a pressure ulcer? The dead skin is still attached around part of the area. Right now, we are just keeping it dry and wrapped to protect it. What is ideal TX for this type of wound?

Try 26 -30 pts and only 2 CNAs, plus being responsible for doing all paperwork for admissions and discharges plus (with another hair growing up the DON and Admins _ _ _ ) they decide to have us do monthly and quarterly assessments (more paperwork) on assigned residents. That tells me.. all they care about is being able to present paperwork quota to whoever. I made the decision that before I become incompetent to make my own decisions, I will have in writing that I am not to be placed in any nursing home for any reason whatsoever. Whenever my last days here on earth occur, they are to be spent at my home. Just place me in an area of the house where I can have food and water within reach, whatever necessities needed for my body's plumbing, a TV in front of me and someone or my kids or grandkids to check in on me once a day until I'm gone. I want EVERYTHING I OWN to go to my family, not some heartless, uncaring facility. I think the owners of some of these facilities should watch the TV show 'Undercover Boss'. It is great of these bosses to actually get down and dirty with their employees to understand what the business they so call "manage" is all about. It is true that for a business to take care of their customers, they must first take care of their employees. If a nurse in a facility works with their CNAs, be good to them and reward them once in a while, your CNAs will do good for you. Nurses need to have a say, since they know the resident better than anyone in administration. We need to be listened to!!

WELCOME to the REAL WORLD OF NURSING!!! Owners of places like the LTC, skilled nursing facilities, etc. only care about the almighty dollar they put in their back pocket. The more residents or patients they can pack in the facility, the more money they can stick in their wallet. You might as well face it now, they could give a crap less about you and the patients or residents. One thing they can never take from you is your passion for your career and the care that you give your patients. You are probably a godsend for some of the patients you care for because the owners making money off them could care less. It is so sad.

WOW!!! Sounds like the CIRCUS I work in!!! Only I work in LTC. Get this!!... Patient refuses to take shower, which he has the right to refuse. Refuses to go to bed and after it's midnight continues to argue with the staff. Next morning when administration comes in after they have had a good nights sleep, not giving a rats a_ _ about how things may be going at work, listen to the patient claim that the nurse and aides refused to let him go to bed when he was tired. The administrator believes him and starts in on the night staff about how he could see to it their license is pulled for refusing to let the patient go to bed. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS??? Our administration is made up of a bunch of idiot :clown:s!! Both of your situations have happened numerous times where I work. Where is the administrations knowledge and responsibilities that they are to have before they even think of taking the position they are in now? I think the people who hire these clowns and the clowns themselves should be required to start at the bottom of the pole and actually work these positions (nurse aides, etc..) so they know and understand what we do. Just my .

After working as a CNA for several years, at 52, I realized that the medicinal part of healthcare was more interesting to me. Had not been to school since high school graduation. The same questions you had in mind also entered my mind, wondering how I would do in class with students that had just come out of school and of course a lot more up to date on technology than I would ever hope to be. Know that I would never pass the entrance test to LPN school, decided to take that chance when I received a letter from the local tech advertising the LPN class coming up in a few months. Decided to sign up and fill out all the paperwork to send in for $20.00. Well, for $20.00, let's see if I can really do it!! I was ready to do something different. I was so nervous!!! Took the test. Checked the mail everyday for the next couple of weeks. One day, there it was...the letter I had been waiting for!! I PASSED!!!! I was totally shocked!! Now, I felt like I had to do this, excited, but scared. This was my chance to do something that I thought I would never in my life see myself as... a NURSE!!! It was the perfect time. Both of our kids were grown and on their own. A nurse now for two years and I have never once regretted it. I am so happy to have taken that chance!!! By the way, I was the oldest student. You may feel a little intimidated at first around the younger students, but you'll soon find out that some of them are very eager to help you if needed. So many friends to be made that wonderful year.

It was another nurse who made the med error. I just happened to notice it when time came for the scheduled narc. Ony one tablet (hydocodone/acetamenaphine 5/325) was scheduled to be given. I noticed in the narc book that 2 of these tablets were signed out by the same nurse at the same scheduled time. Not noted anywhere where 1 tablet was wasted. Maybe the nurse gave the resident both tablets, because when I worked that hall the next day, the resident had slept most of the day shift and part of my shift(eve). When I saw her, she looked as though she had some kind of hangover. I also noticed in the narc book that 4 hours before that she did have 1 of those tablets for pain, which there is an order for 1 tablet PRN.

While on shift a couple of eve ago, I noticed a med error in narc book made by another nurse from the eve before. I did not report it to my superior as it was 2100 hours and he was gone. The narc was not scheduled to give until that time or I would have noticed it before. I am not scheduled on this hall everyday. I was on another unit the next eve and off today. Back to work tomorrow but scheduled on a different hall. My question is: Is it too late to mention this to my superior if it has not been taken care of yet or do I first approach the nurse who signed the med out incorrectly? It was a narc that where only one was scheduled to be given at that time but two were signed out at the same time.

I work in a skilled LTC facility. Started there as a Certified Nursing Assistant and now am an LPN (been an LPN for 2 years). I'm loving every minute of the job. As floor nurse on my shift I have been at the facility longer than the other nurses. My aides are the ones I have worked with since I have been employed at this facility. We work very well together and they are wonderful at what they do. Most of the residents in the area I work in, I have known since being employed there. My concern is I'm finding it hard to be consistent in my work because I'm always scheduled on different parts of the facility and never on one area for more than a couple of days at a time. This results nurse reports not being passed on accurately. If a nurse has not been on a hall for several days, she may not get something of importance passed on to her in report. I prefer to stay in the same unit that I have always been before (2 different halls in the same unit). I have discussed this with my superiors and yes, I do understand there may be times such as vacations, call-ins, no-call-no-shows, that we may have to fill that spot. But come on, why should I have to move from my scheduled spot to some other unit because the nurse originally scheduled doesn't want to work in that area? This is cause for concern because it is an inconsistency in staff that can result in poor patient care. I just hope that the administration will try to work on solving this problem. Does any other healthcare facility have this problem?

If you will be happier and feel less stressed, by all means, a pay cut is well worth it!! I work in an environment where newly hires come with a start pay of more than what the old employees are making now. Not only that, the administration lets the newbies pick what hall they want to work on even if it means bumping an employee with seniority to somewhere else in the building. I consider that unprofessional and immoral. I've just started looking elsewhere. It means starting at the bottom of the totem pole, but what difference is it when you are still at the bottom and have more seniority than the other nurses on your shift?

Yes that FB is just one more way of getting your nose into a place where it does not belong. As for the nursing supervisor asking why you were out to dinner and then calling in sick. You should have just said,"I do not ask you about nor do I care about YOUR personal life. You best not be asking about mine." It works every time.

Sounds like where I work. If you are not a brown-noser to the higher ups, you are nothing and can get nothing done about the lazy CNAs and Nurses who don't care. So disgusting...it's like the inmates running the assylum.

Oh, how I want to reply to this!! Rude doctors just get brushed off by me because I let them know right away that I am an advocate for my patient because at this moment no one else is. They seem to stop and think about that then show a little more respect. Besides being rude, has anyone out there ever wondered why doctors have such POOR penmanship? After I became a nurse, the first doctor's order that I saw was totally undecipherable. I took it to a nurse in the facility who was used to reading crappy writing to decipher it for me. The next time the same doc was in to make rounds, I asked him not to leave before I see him. He asked 'why'? I told him that the last time he was there and wrote out orders, the handwriting was horrible, and I do not want to have to bother him by calling him later to tell me what was written. Medical Universities get good money from their students. You would think they could at least teach them to write correctly.

Makes you wonder what this patient is like at home. I really feel sorry the baby. Millions of Kudos to you for putting up with such a pig!!! After reading this, I thought, "the things you see when you don't have a gun". there is absolutely no reason for people to be that rude to professionals who are breaking their backs to help you and take care of you. Some patients have a reason to be demanding but that was totally uncalled for.

If you have not clocked in yet and something happens that you get hurt, let's say, a patient in need of help right away and you are the only one in sight to help or you slip and fall, will you be able to get workmans comp or can your employer fight it by claiming that you were off the clock & it happened while you were not scheduled to work? Just wondering.